Both were promoted in the hours after the Yankees’ trade deadline dash and travelled together from Tampa, where they were with the High-A club, to join the Thunder for the remainder of the season.

Friends off the field, the duo have been a 1-2 punch on it for the first-place Thunder, who haven’t missed a beat with Hendrix and Solak at the top of the order.

“When we got here, we kind of jumped into a really good lineup,” Solak said before Tuesday night’s game against Portland. “Guys are going to compete and battle every at bat and it’s fun to come into a lineup that competes like that offensively. Over the course of the season, even with all the changes, there weren’t many hiccups because there have been a lot of wins.”

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Both Hendrix (.388 in 20 games) and Solak (.306 in 18 games) were batting over .300 since arriving. That they’ve done it mostly from the No. 1 and 2 spots in the lineup is an added bonus.

Hendrix got the night off against Portland lefty Trey Ball, but has hit safely in 13 of his last 14 games, including eight of the last 11 with at least two hits. He’s also posted a .425 OBP, an important stat for a leadoff batter.

“If I can progress to be a better base stealer that can make situations where the pitchers are more inclined to throw more fastballs with the treat of stealing the base,” said Hendrix, whose swiped a pair of bags with the Thunder. “That can be something we work on.”

Count his good buddy Solak as on who benefits from that.

“It opens up a lot of holes,” Solak said. “You just like hitting with a runner on whether it’s advancing him to the next base or driving him in if he’s in scoring position. It opens up a lot of opportunities to hit behind a guy who always seems to be on base.”

There’s also a chemistry between the new 1-2 punch, which makes sense since they were both high picks — Hendrix in the fourth round in 2015 and Solak in the second round in 2016 — with similar characteristics.

“Nick’s always just been a really good hitter,” Hendrix said. “He’s just punching balls around the entire ballpark, using the whole field, hitting for power. It’s been fun to hit close to him (in the order), and he’s been hitting me in a lot this year.”

That’s not lost on Solak.

“His energy and his leadership. He’s a really hard-working guy. Those three things about him as a player in general on top of his skills are great attributes about his game,” Solak said. “Since he’s been up here, he’s really swung it, too. He’s made some nice diving plays in the outfield. … Every time he steps into the box, I’m getting ready to hit with a runner on base.”

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Mitchell insisted there isn’t a right field platoon between Rashad Crawford and Jhalan Jackson despite Crawford, projected to be one of the team’s key player, having a rather forgettable season.

Crawford, a 23-year-old acquired last July from the Cubs as part of the Aroldis Chapman trade, is slashing .208/.271/.292 in 95 games.

The left-hand hitting Crawford returned to the lineup on Tuesday night to spell the red-hot Hendrix in center despite Portland sending lefty Trey Ball to the mound.

“I’m trying to work something with Rashad to give him a few days (off) because he needed it,” Mitchell said. “I want to gradually get him in and get him going because we’re going to need him. I want to try and build his confidence because confidence-wise it’s not good.”

Mitchell said he thought Crawford’s final two at-bats on the road trip to Harrisburg were two of the best at-bats he’s had in a while. Still, the skipper sat him in Monday’s series opener against a tough southpaw.

“I’m trying to manage it,” Mitchell said. “If he does well (Tuesday), maybe I’ll play him the next day. It’s kind of an iffy thing, but it’s not a platoon thing.”

Jackson, meanwhile, has made the most of his chances with a .297/.422/.419 line in 26 games. He started in right once again on Tuesday.

***

Colten Brewer returned to the Thunder after a short stint at Triple-A Scranton.

He appeared twice in the 21 days he was with RailRiders, allowing four earned runs in three innings of work.

“He’s got to pitch on a regular basis or he’s not sharp,” Mitchell said. “When he has four days off, he comes out initially and his command is not sharp. It’s just the nature of what’s happening up there and when you go up you’re probably not going to pitch right away as much.”

Brewer’s collected 34 of his 53.1 innings with the Thunder, converting nine of his 11 save opportunities.

About the Author

Kyle Franko covers college and high school sports at the Trentonian. He is a Rutgers grad, avid football -- the European variety -- fan and part-time pick-up basketball player. Reach the author at kfranko@trentonian.com
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